Journal of Blood & Lymph

Blood and lymph circulating cells: well-known systems, well-forgotten interdependence, Acute lymphocytic leukemia

Abstract

Ekaterina I. Galanzha

Cells are basic units of life, and their diagnosis has already revolutionized many branches of biology and medicine. When cells are functioning in a whole organism, they often move through the body and their dissemination play key role in health and diseases. For instance, the deadly progression of cancers, infections and cardiovascular diseases, leading to more deaths (~65%) than other causes in the world, are mainly a result of cell dissemination including circulating tumor cells (CTCs) as the roots of cancer metastasis; bacteria as causes of infectious sepsis; and platelets as the important participants of heart attacks and strokes.